


Tout juste un an, que je t'attends

by treesandtruce



Series: La chaleur de l'après-midi [2]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Baberoe, Christmas, Hopes and thoughts, Louisiana, M/M, Train journey, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-17 23:06:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9350222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treesandtruce/pseuds/treesandtruce
Summary: Babe is on a train journey down to Louisiana for christmas. Eugene explicity wanted him there, so Babe took the train on december 24th, facing a few flashbacks and hopes he collected since that one day in belgium and, of course, arrives.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I am back with more Baberoe!  
> Once again, this is in no way an offense and I know that christmas is long over but you can still read it! Because christmas is wonderful and should be everyday! 
> 
> Thanks to @penguinated for beta-reading.

Babe couldn't reach Gene on his house phone in Bayou. He stood, hovering above the small table holding the telephone, and nervously tapping his fingertips on the light wood.

"C'mon Gene." He mumbled. But he didn't answer the phone. Babe hung up and rested his elbows and underarms on the table, calling a creaking noise. Babe got up and stretched, turning 180°. It was december 24th and, to Babe's disfavour, 8 o'clock in the morning. Guarnere's wife, Francis, was supposed to ring the door bell any minute, picking him up and driving him to the trainstation in time, so that Babe caught his train down to Louisiana.

"Heffron! Get yo shoes on!" Babe shot around when he heard the muffled sound of Guarnere's voice through his wooden door.Within a couple large steps he had the knob in his hand and Bill's mug in his face.    

"How'd you get in hea?!" Babe grinned widely at his friend. "What are you doing here anyways?" His girlfriend stood right beside him, smiling aswell.                                    

"Had to see my old buddy." Bill answered, leaning on one side.

Babe grabbed the in worn leader covered suitecase next to his left leg, once again being surprised at the weight of it.

-

"You all dressed up for your Doc?" Guarnere teased Babe loudly over the radio that restlessly blared the Frank Sinatra songs, that Babe hummed by heart during every season. He turned his head from the window of the backseat, leaning forward a little.

"He ain't my Doc." Babe answered.

"How long will you be staying south?" Francis asked. Although she was a really nice lady and Guarnere was a really lucky idiot, hell did she drive with her foot down to the floor. Babe usually never got travel sick but with Francis, driving was being put on a whole new level.

"Babe?" She asked.

"Hah?" Babe turned his attention to her.

"How long you gonna stay?" Guarnere repeat.

"Two weeks." The redhead answered.

"That's not much, Babe, are you sure that's enough?" Francis asked.

"S'all about seeing Roe, ain't it Babe?" Bill had a shit eating grin on his face.

"Would you shut up!" His girlfriend hit him in the chest.

"S'only over the holidays, I got work to do 'nd so does Gene." He answered, starring out of the window and admiring the muddy roads and white sidewalks with white parcels of land, holding white houses in a white fence. Philly did look like a gingerbread village this time of the year.

-

"You better come back, you hear me?" Guarnere let Babe go after a rough clasp on the back.

"You think I'm gonna stand that goddamn heat longer than a couple weeks?" Babe laughed and lifted the suitcase by its handle.

"Have a wonderful Christmas." Francis squeezed him shortly and send him off to his train. He was good in time, ten more minutes left.

"You call when you arrive!" She yelled.        She was like a mother hen and really reminded him of Lipton. Who always had something left for everybody. Just like Gene actually. Maybe Babe just had something for caring people.

"S'cuse me, sir." A lady stood right by Babe's seat. He stared up at her, he must have been lost in his thoughts.

"Ticket?" She asked and held out her hand. She was slim and had dark hair.

"Yeah." He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a pale pink piece of paper. Suddenly a wide grin appeared on Babe's face. He was going to see Gene and if that wasn't the loveliest Christmas present.

"Thank you." He said and put the ticket back into his pocket.

Babe's eyes lingered on the people on the track, some waving, some hastly walking away. The train finally started moving.             _If nothing goes wrong_ , Babe thought, _he should be at Gene's place around 8pm_. And luckily, Babe hadn't gotten much sleep last night with all the packing, he could sleep through most of it.

Yes, he could have started packing a lot earlier and finish all the laundry and ironing and searching for non-holed socks in time, but then he would be wide awake now. Instead he had finishined ironing his good shirt at 2.48am last night and had trouble packing it, without any folds and creases. By now it must be ruined anyways, with all the toteing around and the heavy stuff he carried with him.

Babe still didn't really know what he was supposed to wear to such formal events. Events that required the good dress and the good dress shirt with the blankly polished shoes. Since he had applied to the army back in the day, the 'good clothes' were the uniform because there was only the uniform. And now, or rather yesterday night, he stood in front of his wardrobe, completely planless, cursing the army for the steady dresscode and making his fashion choices seem so easy.

A little into the train journey, Babe looked down to his shoes, he liked them and they accompanied him through many cold winters but he did question wether they were fitting, but people didn't wear shoes inside were they.

-

It had started to snow heavily just when the train drove through upper West Virginia and before Babe noticed it, he couldn't see anything but snowflakes against a grey sky. The next station was only a couple miles away. _Kind of romantic_ , he thought and propped his elbow up on the small space from the large window and rested his chin on it. They drove into the station, waiting for the rest of the people to get in. Just a couple more hours. Eight, Babe had checked the clock. He was so sorry to arrive on Christmas eve and making Gene drive to the trainstation to pick him up at 7pm when he could stay home by the table with his family.

But it was Gene who invited him, although Babe had told him he couldn't take a train earlier and he had told him that after a ten hour journey, Babe would absoloutely not be the most fun guy to be around with. And still Eugene wanted him down in Baton Rouge, with him.


	2. Chapter 2

The train had been standing still for a good 17 minutes and Babe was sure something had happened.

"We excuse the late announcement," He heard the femal voice from before and sat up straight. And indeed, there she stood.  
"The way is blocked, we are not exactly sure how long it'll take us." She looked a little stressed, Babe was sure she had been running around the train in the attempt to keep everyone calm.

"We allowed to get out?" Someone closer to her asked.

"You are allowed to get out, since we are sure it'll take longer."

The lady hadn't even completely spoken the sentence, when Babe shot up from his seat, grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the train. He jumped off the step onto the concrete track.  
Cold air hit him and sloshed through his clothes.  
His steps weren't lonely, people were prowling around a little helplessly or talking to other ones.

Babe squeezed past them, still, after those years, wondering, if they knew what he had done to save their well-dressed asses. He knew that they could never understand what he had seen in Bastogne, jumping out of airplanes and what he had felt from burning anger, over excitement to deep friendship. And who he had met. Men so brave they surely must hold a lion's heart, men smart enough to direct an entire company to victory, men gentle enough to trip fallen soldiers savely into forever sleep and heroes. They all were heroes.  
He walked over to an office, asking to use their telephone for two minutes.

-

This time, Babe rummaged through a couple loose papers, looking for the telephone number Gene had given him to reach his family's house phone in case of emergency.  
He carefully waited for a voice on the other side. The woman - whom he lend the phone from - fully ignored him, looking over something that must have been a timetable. For trains, Babe suggested.

"Hello?" It was Maud, Gene's Ma.

"Mrs. Verret?" Babe asked. Just to be sure.

"Yes?"  
Babe exhaled the air he had held in his lungs.  
"This is Edward Heffron, is Eugene there?" He asked, tapping his toes inside his shoes a little nervously.

"I've told you to call me Maud." She said seriously. "I'll get him for you."

"Sorry." He smiled. "And thank y-" But the line was silent. For a little too long.

"Edward?" Gene's soothing voice.

"Gene, the- the train's stuck, they don' kno' for how long." He explained, shifting his weight on the other foot.

"You gonna make it today?" Gene asked.  
Babe sighted looking around.

"I'm not sure, I-" He shut himself up.

"Babe-"

"I know, I promised, Gene I told you- I promised, I know." God he couldn't even talk, that's how disoriented he was from disappointing him, and that on Christmas! He brought his hand up to his forehead. He could slap himself, didn't his mother teach him better.

After a while Gene answered. "Try."

"Moving the world." Babe grinned to himself.

"And stay safe."

"I will, Doc." Babe taunted a little.

"Get in your train, Heffron. I'll see you."

An 'I love you' hung on Babe's toung but he wouldn't. He could and after doing so take the next train home, so he wouldn't.  
Gene had hung up.

"You will" He whispered to himself and turned to the woman with the edgy purple glasses and fire-red hair. What a style.

"Thank you for the telephone." He flashed a smile.

"On your way home?" She asked, sliding the heavy device back onto it's former place.

"Visiting a friend." Babe answered.

"On Christmas eve?" She had gone back to checking times and writing them onto a separate piece of paper.

"Couldn't take an earlier train."

"Where're you going?"

"Louisiana." Babe nodded.

"That's another several hours to go, you know that?" Now she rose a brow on him.

"And probably several hours late for dinner." Babe answered.

She pursed her lips, humming in agreement.

"And I promised I would be there." Babe reminded himself.

"Who have you promised that, if it sits in your neck that deeply?" She sounded like she did that on a daily basis, talking to strangers using her phone and debateing about their problems.

"I.. was in Europe with him-"

"War buddy?" She interrupted him, looking up at him now.  
Babe nodded.

"I can't believe what you guys did over there. You took place in D-Day?" She asked, now gazing in - awe. That's how Babe would describe it.

He shook his head.  
"Replacement, but I was in there pretty early. Market Garden ring a bell?" He asked.

"Don't ring a bell, replacement or not, you fought and look at you! Alive and shining." She turned back to her timetable and quickly looked at her watch.

"If you don't wanna miss breakfast, you better get going."

"Oh, thank you!" He smiled once more and hurried off but then came back.

"I'm Edward Heffron." He held out his hand.

"I didn't overhear, Martha Hahn." She shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Wonderful meeting you Martha." He grinned and eventually really rushed away.

-

Sleep hit him like a truck around 12pm, when it was still mid-day, but seemed like late afternoon with the heavy clouds. They still stood still and nobody knew why, so Babe, likely to sleep after a good meal, caught up to the sleep he wasn't able to get the night before.


	3. Chapter 3

A light shaking woke Babe up from the rough sleep he was in.  
Immeditely he regretted the position he fell asleep in.

"Fuck's sake-" he whispered and very very carefully untangled his numb and tickling arm from underneath his head. Even that small movement made his neck protest with a strong 'No!'.

Good lord, what had he gotten into. The train shook and harshly sent his head into the opposite direction, overtaking what he wanted to do carefully to avoid more pain.

He squeezed his eyes shut and sat up straight, stretching his arms forward with a disgusting noise coming from each side of his shoulders.  
And then he noticed the dark blue sky. And that he moved. Well the train moved.  
Babe turned his head to the stiffed up side.  
Dide he miss lunch?  
Ignoring the rumbling of the train, the compartment was quiet, so Babe decided to get up. He needed to stretch his legs anyways. His knees hurt aswell from having them bent for who knows how long he had been dozing.

He pulled the watch out of his pocket. It was just past four o'clock.  
He pushed himself up from the seat and for a little just stood straight up.  
So no lunch for him today. And who knew when he would get the next opportunity to eat something. Babe made his way through the carriage and back to his seat. He didn't want to sit anymore and hell, was he bored. He sighted heavily but sat back down, this time resting his legs on his seat, letting his feet dangle over the edge.

He turned his head to look out of the window, watching the scenery rush past.  
Suddenly a sign came by, telling him where he was.  
'KENTUCKY Licking River'  
If Babe didn't completely lose all of his elementary school knowledge, then he should be at the Hammond Station in Baton Rouge around 12pm and with a cab another good hour to Eugene's parents.  
He wouldn't think of phoning them all out of bed at 1am - given that everything went smoothly from now.

It felt like a sad book scene, watching the scenery from a cool train window, knowing he'd be late for dinner and leave his darling alone.  
Babe wondered if he's ever had a worse crush. He played around with the seam of his shirt, thinking about nothing at all.  
A ridiculous grin made it's way onto Babe's face.  
This was the most stupid thing he's ever been stuck in. He was in love and it was a man and he didn't care at all because this man had seen more of him than - than - oh did it matter?

It had been actual years and he still remembered Gene's eyes laying on him in the cold foxhole in the middle of Belgium when Babe pointed out that he had indeed called him by his nickname for the very first time, and he could also remember his own loser smile.  
The snowflakes swaying around hastly in the Doc's warm breath.

Many many times he had thought about leaving it to his luck and, who knows, he might have ended up with a new partner - or a very disappointed Eugene and a friend less.  
But as soon as Babe had stepped off his train home, the experiences with Gene hung above him like a mosquito net, hampering his view and dulling his productivity.  
He felt like going insane at some points and then he came home, on those nights that they would talk on the phone, and Babe remembered how easily he confused the 'madness' with weakness for Eugene and the feeling of life creeping to and from his heart through his every vein.  
And it was always too long till he could hear the lazy voice on the other side of the phone.

One time he had been laying in room during december. Was it one or two years ago - it was a christmas spent with his family. The street lights threw the kown squares to the ceiling of his bedroom with the nice bed. After having thrown himself on the sheets, Babe hadn't felt the need to move anymore.  
And he hoped about showing Gene the winters in Philadelphia someday. With nice snow, not the Bastogne snow. Wonderfully decorated streets and lots of rare Glühwein. They might sway home tipsily and Gene would kiss him under the mistletoe.         He exhaled, the horrible cliché turning his mouth into a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, Babe could get off the carriage that he had been trapped in for way more than ten hours.  
He looked around a little helplessly, having slept through most of the rest of the journey. God and it was humid in this damn state.  
He luckily found a cab relatively quickly, telling the guy the street.  
He was sorry for the man, having to drive when he should be home now aswell. They both should. Babe would tip him.  
The ride was pretty quiet unless the radio, that warbled away softly, repeating christmas songs.

-

The man thanked Babe for the generous tip and let him out at the beginning of the street.  
Babe carried his suitcase until he reached the dark house of the Roe's, hopping up the verandah to the door. He checked his watch and suddenly something very important appeared infront of his inner eye. He didn't have a key and no one was awake.  
How could he forget that!? He could have told Gene to hide a key! He facepalmed himself and spun around, searching a solution and while doing so, he felt pressure against his suitcase-holding hand. Shortly after, a smash.  
Babe set the bag down and saw the demolished flower pot.  
Maud's loved Campanula's, now pressed flat to the ground under a heap of soil and red clay.  
He will apologize and help her tomorrow.

The light in the hallway lit up and the door got pulled open.  
Babe spun around and stared at Gene. He sported a t-shirt in a lovely shade of hydrangea blue with very stylishly soft shorts in a darker blue. He didn't look like he had been asleep just recently. Babe stood up straight, he couldn't stop the soft smile forming that was caused by Gene's silky one.

"Promised." Babe shrugged.

Eugene made a couple steps to get closer the the other man. His bare feet making almost no sound on the wood. And he hugged the red head, lightly holding onto Babe. In return, he closed his arms around Gene's slim waist, nestling his face shyly into his shoulder.

"You missed dinner, Babe, my grandmère was disappointed in you." Gene whispered, caressing Babe's neck and hair feathery.

He closed his arms firmer around Eugene.

"Missed Louisiana?" The dark haired demanded smiling, when he felt the light pressure.

He moved his hand, so that he could stroke the skin behind Babe's ear with his thumb.  
Babe couldn't define what it was - Gene's unexpected actions or the air being full of christmasy love - but Babe took his forehead off the warm material of the shirt so he could speak properly.

"You." He answered.

Calming silence spread.  
Babe felt a loose drawing forward. He followed it without a question and bumbed into Gene gingerly since he had stopped walking.  
Babe looked up, standing - seperated by the threshold - and looking at the other one. He wanted to get closer again but hit the wood with the tip of his shoes. He glanced down but carefully back up, the light throwing their shadow onto the porch.  
Gene glinted up. Babe followed and noticed the small mistle with the red ribbon cutesyly tied around it.  
What did he do to god to deserve this? The lord was obviously a big fan of him.

He felt Gene's eyes on him and slowly lowered his sight. If this was a dream, then he would hit a wall.  
He surveyed Gene's body language and captivating eyes. He could feel arms resting on on his shoulders and one hand - still - on the side of his neck.

Did he miss something or why was he, on a warm christmas night, standing on Eugene Roe's parent's front porch and who knew how close to in point of fact kissing him?  
Why be away from it, he asked himself.  
Thus, he allowed himself to kiss Eugene. Just a little peck but it felt like - like - he was really bad at descriptions. His stomache felt horrible and he would pull away, trying to get the shaking under control. If he could help but fall in love.

But then Babe did quickly let go and stared at Gene, awaiting a reaction of any kind.  
Was he insane!? Why did he do that and first of all: how dare he?  
' _Say something!_ ' He pleaded but Gene had always been the one to let Babe wait.  
And then he felt another kiss. Closing his eyes, this time he would concentrate completely on Gene's sweet-sticky lips.  
He tasted exactly like white candy-cane frosting. Unwittingly, Babe captured the other man's lips in his own. He felt very small, and weirdly enough, like standing in bubbles.

When Gene let go, Babe was shocked at his own leck of breath. He couldn't speak.

"Are you hungry? Ma believed you eat for an entire Division after the journey." A quiet question.

"I- do." Babe breath out the answer, still a little artless but now, following Eugene into the house, widely smiling.

"Your suit-case?" Gene couldn't see one.

"Outside." Babe turned on his heels, grabbed it from the ground and dragged it inside.

-

The livingroom contained a wonderfully glowing tree and the most thoughtful decorations, just like Babe could never think of it. Far less do it. With tinsel glimming in the light and golden baubles reflecting the lights.

"You took christmas deco to- holy cow. Who's supposed to eat a' tha'?"  
Babe felt like a small boy again, seeing the golden gleaming room with all the food and presents.

He sat down by the long table. One plate untouched with a glass turned upside down and at least four different forks. He assumed it to be his seat.

"I coulda' brought the entire street fo' dinner." Babe said, when Eugene placed another plate on the clean one.

"You could have brought Philadelphia, if you liked." Eugene snorted.  
He sat down across from Babe and rested his head in his palm. " 'm glad you made it."

Babe glared at the clock above the chimney. It was half past one am.  
"Why're you awake?" He asked with a full mouth.

"You don't have a key."

"I shoul' by now." He swallowed and looked up. "Francis sends her love, so does Guarnere." He told Gene.  
"Ah, an' I was s'pposed to call them when I arrive. I'll do tha' tomorrow."  
He took a forkfull of salmon fillet. "Gene your Mom cooks like a godess. Man, I'm sorry fo' missing the seven courses, I'd be lying flat on the ground now-"  
Eugene let him talk. About the journey and Martha and the hurried packing. Babe's voice raised a smile from his lips.

-

"Babe," He said, after Babe had sat down on his bed.

"Hah?" Babe asked, looking up but keeping to pull the sock off his foot.  
He quietly took place next to the red head.  
"Yeah?" Babe asked again, heart-eyeing Gene in the dimmed orange light of the bedside lamp. Gene wouldn't answer.

They starred dead ahead atbeach other, then Gene looked at the bedding. To Babe's utter disapproval.  
"I have hella feelings for you." He suddenly burst out himself.  
Gene starred at him in disbelief.  
"F-uck." Babe hiccuped.

Gene smiled to the ground and if it wasn't the light, then he did have a flush of pink around the nose.

"I didn't - Gene I-"

"Babe," He chuckled. "Moi aussi."

"You're shitting me." Babe almost yelled.

"Would I have kissed you?"

"You kissed back?" Babe's eyes widen. "You gotta get more enthusiastic with tha'."

Eugene's soft chuckles made Babe's heart warm up.  
Gene leaned in a little and since they already sat close, their noses now brushed against each other up till Gene closed the small space that was left.

"Candy cane frosting."

Gene's eyes were questioning.

"You taste like my childhood christmas, Candy canes."

"13 desserts do their work." He smiled.

Babe pressed his lips on Gene's again, and a second time and one more time, before Gene took Babe's face in his hands and held him close for as long as they could hold their breath.  
_For Gene, forever_ , Babe thought and wrapped his arm around the other one's waist to turn him, so that, as Babe pulled him down with him, he could lay him regardfully on the sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! Thank you for reading.


End file.
